Production facility layout for automated controlled environment agriculture

A crop production facility for controlled environment agriculture, comprising:

• a substantially encapsulated growth environment containing a vertical grow tower conveyance system comprising
• one or more grow lines;
• a plurality of grow towers, each of the plurality of grow towers vertically attached to, and moveable along, a respective one of the one or more grow lines, wherein each of the plurality of grow towers includes a plurality of grow sites extending at least along one face thereof;
• a grow tower conveyance mechanism operative to move the one or more grow towers along a respective grow line from a first end to a second end;
• a central processing system comprising
• a harvester station comprising a crop harvesting machine, and a feeder mechanism to receive a grow tower in a horizontal orientation and feed the grow tower through the crop harvesting machine in a horizontal orientation;
• a washing station comprising a second feeder mechanism to receive a grow tower in a horizontal orientation and feed the grow tower through the washing station in a horizontal orientation;
• a transplanter station comprising a third feeder mechanism to receive a grow tower in a horizontal orientation and feed the grow tower through the transplanter station in a horizontal orientation;
• a plurality of conveyors arranged to convey grow towers to and from respective ones of the harvester station, the washing station and the transplanter station, wherein the plurality of conveyors include a first conveyor arranged to feed a grow tower to the harvester station, a second conveyor arranged to feed a grow tower to the washing station, a third conveyor arranged to feed a grow tower to the transplanter station, and a fourth conveyor arranged to feed a grow tower from the transplanter station to a pickup location;
• and
• an automated laydown station comprising a first robot including an end effector adapted to releasably grasp a grow tower, and control logic operative to cause the first robot to pick the grow tower from a pick location in a vertical orientation, rotate the grow tower to a horizontal orientation and place the tower on a conveyor for loading into the harvester station;
• an automated pickup station comprising a second robot including an end effector adapted to releasably grasp a grow tower, and control logic operative to cause the second robot to grasp a grow tower from the pickup location in a horizontal orientation, rotate the grow tower to a vertical orientation for transfer to a select grow line of the plurality of grow lines;
• a propagation facility adjacent to the central processing system and proximal to the transplanter station;
• a post-harvest processing facility located adjacent to the central processing system and proximal to the harvester station.